Page 27 of Possessed by the Dragon Alien (Zarux Dragon Brides #6)

TWENTY

The space around them went quiet. Even the background hum of the ship’s systems faded as attention focused on her.

Razion shifted. “Your point?”

“My point,” Nena said, letting her gaze move across each Zaruxian face, “is that he chose to give all of that up. For me. For us. For what was right.”

“I understand that,” Takkian said. “But—”

“When the Axis council ordered my death, Madrian hid me in his quarters. When they tried to capture me, he fought his way out of Axis Central. When they demanded he choose between his position and my life, he didn’t hesitate.

” Her voice grew stronger with each word.

“He only learned the truth about our peoples, about what the Axis really was, a few cycles before we escaped. Everything he thought he knew, everything he’d built his life around—he questioned all of it because he couldn’t stand to be part of a system that would hurt innocent people. ”

Silence stretched across the hall. Nena could feel the weight of their attention and the careful consideration in their faces.

Ellion’s expression had shifted during her speech. The cold authority in his features softened into something like understanding. “The Axis are skilled at making weapons of us.” He gazed at Nena, acknowledging the history they shared. “I would know.”

“You would,” Nena agreed. “But you don’t have to stay weapons. You can choose to be something else.”

She turned to face Madrian then, saw the mix of gratitude and amazement in his silver eyes. The way he looked at her made her chest tight with emotion. This powerful, dangerous male who could destroy armies watched her like she was a miracle he couldn’t quite believe.

“Yes,” Stavian said quietly. “We can. We have .” He looked directly at Madrian, who returned his gaze mildly.

“I was the controller of the DeLink mine, until recently. I understand what it’s like to arrive here knowing everyone sees you as a threat.

” Stavian’s voice carried the edge of annoyed experience.

“I also understand what it’s like to discover that everything you learned from the Axis was a lie. ”

Razion’s expression faltered slightly. “ Fek , Stav. You were a mining controller, not one of the Twelve.”

“Was it really that different?” Stavian shot back. “I oversaw operations that stripped entire worlds bare. I signed orders that displaced millions and worked prisoners to death. The scope may have been smaller, but the harm was real.” He gestured toward Madrian. “If I can change, why can’t he?”

Takkian, the big green one with faded scars and immense muscles, rolled his huge shoulders. “Maybe he can, maybe he can’t,” he rumbled, then jerked his chin in Madrian’s direction. “He might not even know, yet. But our mates, our families are all at risk if we’re betrayed.”

The word “mates” hung in the air. Nena glanced around the group and saw the truth of it in their faces. These weren’t just rebels who happened to encounter Terian females. Her friends had bonded to these males, just like she had with Madrian.

“I won’t put Lilas in danger,” Razion muttered, running a hand through his shaggy hair.

Nena’s impression of the golden scaled one was that he looked like a sharp-eyed raider who was used to relying on no one but himself.

He wore a vest, like Cyprian, but it was loose and simple, like someone who valued mobility over style.

“We brought him here because he’s our brother, but how do we know we can trust him? ”

Before anyone could respond, a female voice cut through the tension. “Because Nena trusts him.”

All eyes turned as the five Terian females appeared in an entryway against the far wall. A blue-haired female led the group with quiet determination.

Nena’s heart stopped.

Sweet stars , it was Turi. It was all of them.

Her friends. No, her sisters . The last time she’d seen these faces was before Turi’s bonding ceremony, which never happened.

The last time they’d been together, they’d been weaving grasses and already mourning the loss of a friend who was about to be sent away to a male she hadn’t chosen or met.

Five faces she’d thought she might never see again.

“Oh,” Nena breathed, all thoughts of Zaruxian politics forgotten.

She broke away from Madrian’s side and ran, her feet pounding against the stone floor.

“Nena!” Turi’s voice cracked as she rushed forward.

They collided in the center of the room, arms wrapping around each other in a desperate embrace.

She almost didn’t recognize Sevas, who reached them next.

Last time she’d seen her strong friend, she’d had dull black hair that covered most of her face.

Now, it was bright yellow—when had that happened?

Nena braced as Sevas threw herself into the growing huddle.

Fivra’s bright pink hair appeared next, tears already streaming down her face.

Lilas, trying to maintain her usual sharp composure, gave up and joined the pile with a choked sob.

Cerani’s gentle hands completed the circle, pulling them all closer.

“I was afraid you were dead,” Fivra whispered against Nena’s shoulder. “When they separated us at the auction, I thought—”

“I know,” Nena said, her voice thick with tears. “I was afraid, too.”

“How?” Sevas pulled back to look at her with dark red eyes, fierce with emotion. “We heard you were taken to Axis Central. The worst place.”

“It’s a long story.” Nena glanced back to where Madrian stood, watching her.

Even from this distance, she could see the wonder in his expression.

The soft smile that transformed his entire face as he ignored whatever his brothers were trying to say.

The rest of the room faded away, leaving only him. Just him.

The calculating chancellor was gone, leaving only the male who loved her. And she knew it then, down to her bones, that he loved her. He loved so deeply, so completely, that her happiness was also his happiness.

No anger that she wasn’t in his arms. No resentment. No insecurity.

In that moment, seeing him look at her with such unguarded joy, Nena knew with absolute certainty that Madrian would be okay.

The male who watched her reunion with such obvious pleasure wasn’t the weapon the Axis had tried to create.

He was someone capable of love, of growth, of leaving his dark past behind.

“Is that really…?” Lilas followed her gaze, then sucked in a sharp breath. “ Fekking stars , Nena. You fell in love with an Axis high chancellor?”

Heat crept up Nena’s neck. “It would appear so.”

“He’s smitten with you, too.” Lilas’ eyebrows rose. “Look at that. He’s watching you like you hung the stars.”

Sevas lifted her head to get a look at Madrian. “There was a lot of debate about whether or not to let a high chancellor come here, but that male is looking at you like…”

“Like you’re his mate,” Cerani finished softly. Her artistic eye always caught details others missed. “ Stars , Nena. What happened on Central?”

“Everything,” Nena said simply. “Everything I never thought possible.”

“Cryptic, but okay.” Sevas let out a gusty sigh. “Well, if he’s yours, he’s ours, too.”

They made their way across the central hall together. Nena’s friends clustered around her like a protective formation. The Zaruxian males had spread out slightly, but the tension in the air was thick enough to cut.

“We don’t know much about Axis politics,” Turi said, stopping beside Nena. “But we know Nena and we heard everything she said about Madrian just now. She has the best instincts of anyone I’ve ever met. If she says her mate is trustworthy, that’s enough for us.”

Sevas nodded firmly, her dark red eyes flashing. “We called Nena our sage , back at the settlement. She had a gift for seeing through all the nonsense.” She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow toward Takkian. “You know someone like that, don’t you?”

Takkian nodded. “Where is Bruil, anyway?”

“Recovering from drinking too much of Cozax’s homemade spirits,” Razion replied. “He’s on his way from the Darkslip.” He crossed his arms. “You all have a lot of faith in Nena’s instincts.”

Lilas, ever blunt, waved a finger in Madrian’s general direction without looking at him. “Look, no one fools our Nena. That tells me what I need to know.”

Cerani, who had been quiet during the exchange, wrapped an arm around Nena’s waist. Her artist’s eye took in the scene with careful observation. “There’s something else,” she said in her gentle voice. “Can’t you see how he looks at her?”

Every gaze shifted to Madrian, who had remained silent.

Nena’s chest felt full. Her eyes were still wet with tears.

Even if she had to, there was no way she could come up with words that made sense in the moment.

Gratitude for her friends’ faith in her was one thing she felt, but that word— gratitude —was weak.

“That’s not the look of someone using her, or you,” Cerani continued. “That’s the look of someone who would burn down the universe to keep his mate safe.”

Razion’s hostility visibly wavered as he took in the scene. No one, especially not Nena, could miss the way Madrian’s entire posture had shifted the moment Nena spoke, as if her voice was the only thing that mattered in the room.

“Yeah,” Lilas added, aiming her brilliant fuscia gaze at Razion. “I know you’re touchy about the Axis, my love, but this guy? He’s so in love it’s making me gag. You should look at me like that.”

Razion’s brows lowered. “I do look at you like that.”

Madrian’s mouth twitched, but he kept quiet. An amused twinkle shone in his eyes as his gaze held Nena’s.

“Our mates have a point,” Takkian said quietly. The old wounds that crisscrossed his arms and neck spoke of battles fought and survived. “Bonds don’t lie. Neither do instincts honed by survival.”